Universal Audio Introduces UAD-Xpander ExpressCard DSP System For Laptops

Universal Audio, a manufacturer of high-quality vintage audio hardware and DSP software plug-ins for digital audio workstations, today announced the UAD-Xpander, an ExpressCard DSP system for laptops. The UAD-Xpander will be offered in 3 versions: the UAD-Xpander Xpress (Estimated street price $999 including a UAD$500 voucher), the UAD-Xpander Xpert (Estimated street price $1399 including a UAD$1000 voucher), and the UAD-Xpander Xtreme (Estimated street price $2199 including all UAD plug-ins to v4.5 - almost $3000 value). The UAD-Xpander Xtreme will uniquely feature a highly polished chassis with custom Xpander logo. All UAD-Xpander's are expected to ship Q1 2007.

"The UAD-Xpander is the worlds first ExpressCard-based audio product and offers the legions of laptop-based musicians, remixers & producers a state-of-the art solution to running the sonically superior UAD plug-ins on the road. " said Mike Barnes, VP of Marketing for Universal Audio. "Now professional mobile mixing and mastering is a reality and the new ExpressCard bus means that laptop customers can enjoy the same power as the UAD desktop solutions. Our UAD-Xtenda PCIe to ExpressCard adapter also means you can even switch your UAD-Xpander between laptop and desktop PC's."

Key Features Include:

• 44.1-192k Mac/PC DSP Audio Accelerator for laptops
• Noiseless, Fanless, Alumi-Cool chassis design
• Ultra-fast (2.5Gbps) ExpressCard 34 interface
• Includes 14 Powered Plug-ins & UAD$ voucher
• Travel-Case with compartments for all components
• Optional UAD-Xtenda kit with PCIe desktop adapter

About the UAD DSP Card

At the heart of every UAD DSP Card & Powered Plug-Ins package is the revolutionary UAD DSP card. Because of its high resolution, floating-point processing, ultra high-speed memory and hardware dithering, the UAD delivers outstanding high-headroom sound quality at sample rates from 32 to 192khz. Unlike other DSP cards, the UAD uses a single, unpartitioned vector processor, allowing for larger and more sophisticated plug-in algorithms offering a new level of power and complexity not found with host-based plug-ins. By greatly reducing the burden on the computer's CPU, the host application can now deliver more tracks, automation and native effects.